I have moved your topic to the Play and Activities forum as it is in the Toddler and Kids area.I hope you get some helpful responses.

Kind regards,

lucky 2Moderator

With dd, I found a negative was how heavy the balance bike was so I'd go for a lighter one. I had one about 5 years ago and there are a lot more on the market now, I bought a cheap wooden one which turned out to be a waste of money.I saw one in the local bike shop recently.Good luck.

We got a Kazam balance bike for DS when he was 2y/o. He's now 4 and it still gets used everyday. Reasons we chose this one over others were the pneumatic tyres, sturdy frame, foot rest (DS gets speed up then puts his feet up and coasts!) and a lower height (DS was a shortie!). It's still as good as new, I'd highly recommend.

There are loads of balance bikes on the market now, and most bike shops stock at least one model.

It's seat is the lowest available (DS is only 18 months so this was important for us), I've done lots of research and it consistently gets very good reviews, it has a built in foot rest and you can buy a foot break accessory if you want to, seems very sturdy and I like the idea of puncture proof tyres.

We gave our son one for X'mas when he was nearly 3 and he is short for his age but has no problem riding his Schwinn Tiger bike. It was abut $129 I think and he loves it and rides it nearly everyday. It's like a proper bike with proper rubber tyres etc. He prefers it to his Mini Micro scooter because he can go much faster on it. Have you seen this clip on how to use a balance bike?

The concept is good, but balance bikes have a limited life span. You could achieve the same effect by simply removing the pedals from a normal bike and then attaching them again when the child is ready. It’s a cheaper option – avoiding the extra expense of a balance bike. Simon Vincett of Ride On magazine recently reviewed the ByK E-250 First Bike ($250) and gave it a score of 96%. It’s not a balance bike, however could be used as one with the pedals off.

DS was given a balance bike that had peddles you could attach later. It was great, as a balance bike it would have only lasted a year, with peddles we got 2.5 years out of if. Would have been more but he was 3 when he got it.

When I was comparing balance bikes I looked at weight, height, tyres and brakes.

We went with the Strider balance bike last christmas, DD was 3.

The weight of the bike was important to me. DD has no problems manuvering the Stider, it's also nice and light when I have to carry it (and you will need to carry it at some point).

The seat and handlebars are easily adjustable. It's also one of the lowest around, so suits a young or short child. And the tyres are puncture proof polymer.

The strider doesn't come with a brake, which almost put me off. But I'm glad I didn't bother with one. At this age, I know DD wouldn't really use it properly. A lot of the bikes with brakes had them on the front wheel. Seriously, that can only end badly. Their first instinct is to put their feet down anyway, which seems to work well for DD.

Balance bikes really are great. DP was sceptical about them at first, but now he raves about it. We're going to get one for DS this Christmas.

The concept is good, but balance bikes have a limited life span. You could achieve the same effect by simply removing the pedals from a normal bike and then attaching them again when the child is ready. It’s a cheaper option – avoiding the extra expense of a balance bike. Simon Vincett of Ride On magazine recently reviewed the ByK E-250 First Bike ($250) and gave it a score of 96%. It’s not a balance bike, however could be used as one with the pedals off.

DS was given a balance bike that had peddles you could attach later. It was great, as a balance bike it would have only lasted a year, with peddles we got 2.5 years out of if. Would have been more but he was 3 when he got it.

Just thought I'd reply to this.

I looked into just removing the peddles from a normal bike. But didn't go that route. Reasons being. The weight of the bike, I haven't seen any peddle bikes that are lightweight (which for DD would be an issue, maybe not for other kids). They're also taller, not designed for kids to stand while using them. And I just think it would be a PITA.

I also looked at the convertable bikes. I think here you actually get the worst of everything. It's not a great balance bike or peddle bike, because its not specifically designed for either. The one I looked at was also really heavy and came with trainers (why would you sell a balance bike with trainers). Anyway, there's a huge range of options out there. Good luck.

My DS 3 had a JD BUG which I would highly recommend. It is sturdy but lightweight and the seat at the lowest setting was good for his little legs at 2 yo.

He can now ride a 16" bike with no trainers at not quite 4yo, which I believe is due to learning on the balance bike.

This is exactly us also. We also had a JD Bug. So lightweight that the child can carry it up the stairs at the park if needs be. So easy to throw in the back of the car, just like a scooter. If the child tires of riding, just sling it over the shoulder or under the arm - and it is so light it is no problem. Ours has gone through 2 sons, used for 5 years, could do another kid easy. Both kids learnt to ride a real bike almost straight away without training wheels - straight to a larger bike at age 4/5. So it saved us money from getting a small bike with trainers. Just before transitioning to a real bike my DS was zooming down and up the BMX track at the park - you just cannot do that with trainers wheels!!

Sometimes CHOICE doesn't know everything as they only test things over a month.

Expensive but indestructible - just watch the guy jumping on one!
Very lightweight and don't hurt as much when they fall down as the entire frame is composite plastic rather than metal. Also, can be hosed down after any toilet training accident - unlike wooden ones.

First Apple and Facebook announced they would pay $20,000 towards the cost of their female employees freezing their eggs, now IBM in the US has come up with an innovative new policy aimed at retaining female employees.